


spirit in a tomb (do you mind if I'm exhumed?)

by tamedbanshee



Series: lost in a labyrinth (please, don't follow) [1]
Category: Naruto
Genre: A lot of original characters, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Arranged Marriage, Clan Politics, Fix-It of Sorts, How Do I Tag, Multi, Reincarnation, and I love them all, uchiha massacre? what massacre?
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-10-21
Updated: 2019-11-10
Packaged: 2020-12-27 20:55:52
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 3
Words: 9,343
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21125117
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/tamedbanshee/pseuds/tamedbanshee
Summary: All it takes is the flap of a butterflies wings to cause ripples.(Maiko prefered a more direct approach when it came to the slaughter of her Clan.)





	1. Chapter 1

“Well done Team Five.”

Their victory was hollow.  _ Bittersweet _ . 

The team didn’t feel like congratulations were in order, not when they stood there in the Hokage’s office, caked in mud and blood and grime. The smell of burnt flesh was  _ ripe _ , it’d cling to their clothes for weeks, nevermind their skin. Tadashi rolled around by his partner’s feet, tongue lolling from his maw as he tried to roll some of it out of his fur. 

(They looked fresh out of a horror film.)

Komaru grinned, lazy and uncaring. Maiko’s nose was wrinkled but otherwise unphased.  _ Sozen _ . 

Their third teammate looked almost green, visibly trying not to gag at the sheer stench. The plan had been simple, he’d loot the bandit’s belongings whilst his teammates drew them out into the open and engaged; it was  _ basic _ , a genin student could’ve come up with it. He just… hadn’t expected the fuckers to  _ blow the bandits up _ . 

(Maiko and Komaru were never going to be left unsupervised  _ again _ .)

He had a strong stomach, all shinobi  _ had _ to have strong stomachs. Sozen could cope with the smell of charred flesh… but there had been one last bandit. He’d almost gotten away  _ clean _ but that one bandit which Maiko popped like a balloon whilst in spitting distance - the gore was unimaginable. Stomach rolling at just the thought, he hadn’t expected to have to bring the smell home with him.

They wouldn’t have barbecue for  _ weeks _ . 

“Piece’a cake,” Komaru shrugged as if their three months mission hadn’t stretched to six.  _ Half a year _ , six months following a ruthless sect of bandits up and down the borders. It was a lot longer than any of them had expected. 

“The relics were stolen from smaller clans,” Sozen tried to start their mission report, the verbal aspect at least. Of course, he made the mistake of  _ inhaling _ . The smell caught the back of his throat and he coughed and spluttered and gagged. “ _ Fucking hell _ , guys, no seriously -  _ a bath _ .”

“Wimp.”

His nausea was forgotten in his unbridled rage and Sozen’s head snapped up to glare at his grinning teammate. Maiko had already ducked away, using Komaru as a shield unrepentantly. It wouldn’t have been the first brawl to start in the Hokage’s office and, much to his dismay, it probably wouldn’t be the last either. 

It was easy enough to catch their attention though, his pipe laid to rest on his desk and they quietened instantly. 

(Nobody disrespected the Hokage.  _ Nobody _ .)

“I think Sozen-kun might have a point,” the Sandaime stated and pointedly ignored their squabbling. Despite being in their twenties, they acted like genin fresh from the Academy. Refreshing yet aggravating all at the same time. “All three-” Tadashi gave soft whine at being left out. The Hokage smiled at the nin-ken by their feet. “My apologies, the four of you should go home and wash up, we can run through all of this tomorrow morning.”

“Thank you, sir.”

“You’re the best old man!”

The sound of the smack echoed in his office, Sozen berating his teammate as they left whilst Maiko and Tadashi bounded ahead. 

“One day, you’re gonna go too far and then who’ll save you?  _ Huh? _ ”

“Aw, Sozen, you saying you wouldn’t help me out?”

The Sandaime said nothing but gestured for his ANBU guard to open the windows quickly once they’d left. Team Five’s bickering could be heard from the main road as they strolled down to the Inuzuka compound. A lively place, the team waved to other members of the clan - regular fixtures if not for the six months that they’d been away.

“We’re home,” Komaru called out, chuckling to himself as Tadashi flew through the house, tail wagging and clumps of  _ whatever _ fell from his fur. God, it’d take hours to scrub him clean. From the sound of it, the disgusted shriek and growl of  _ fury _ , his nin-ken partner had already found his sister. Nose wrinkled and a scowl twisting her features, Tsume glowered at her older brother. “Miss me?”

He flung his arms out, almost smacking Maiko in the process and his sister reeled back. A hand clenched over her nose - Inuzuka’s,  _ delicate senses of smell _ . 

“What  _ died? _ ” 

“Give us a hug!”

Aaaand they were off. 

Tadashi chased after them gleefully but Kuromaru paused for a second to at least greet them with a nod of his head, following them at a more  _ sedate _ and  _ sane _ pace. A word rarely used with any Inuzuka. 

“Rock paper scissors for the shower first?” Sozen offered. 

Maiko won easily -  _ why did he always choose paper? _

They’d stayed enough times that the guest room might as well have been  _ theirs _ . The chest of drawers was filled with their own belongings, changes of clothes, stray kunai, sebon needles and one mystery scroll their sensei had given them  _ in case of emergencies _ . Which, with their sensei, could mean anything.

A bed would be  _ heavenly _ but Maiko was salivating at the idea of a proper shower. She stared at the steaming water in awe, almost dancing as she stepped into the spray. She couldn’t wait to wash the six months worth of grime from behind her ears. They made sure to stop by lakes and such to clean themselves up, the occasional inn with their terrible water pressure and lukewarm water as a treat once in a while but  _ nothing _ beat a good shower. 

The sound of both Tsume and Komaru arguing outside, Sozen’s chakra perched in the guest room - no doubt sat on the floor, waiting for his turn… It reminded her that she was  _ home _ . 

It was supposed to be a three-month mission.

Very quickly, they realised it was going to take a little longer than that. The bandits clocked onto them quickly and were  _ ruthless _ . It felt like a wild goose chase at times, they were smart and cunning as they tried to evade them. Definitely one of the longest missions she’d taken since her promotion to chūnin with the boys. 

Long missions were no big deal, she  _ preferred  _ them… sans the mottled bruises, weight loss and dried blood behind her ears. 

She’d almost forgotten what it felt like to be on that sort of mission, the rush and the pressure and the trust in her boys. Like they were a genin team again, clumsily trying to hold themselves together as they camped out in one small tent; with only each other to keep warm, trying to not kill one another in the process. Komaru snoring quietly into her ear and Sozen was like an octopus. Of course, now they were adults and the stakes were a little higher. 

Her boys, her team - they were home. Konoha wasn’t the be-all and end-all, she loved it. Truly, she did. Whenever she left those gates behind though, it felt like a weight was pushed off her shoulders and she could  _ breathe _ again. 

(Someone would notice eventually, they had to keep an eye out for these sorts of things.)

If she took too many missions in a short amount of time, little cool-off periods between them before she was back to running. Maiko would be careful, a month at least before her next mission - maybe two if she could hold out. 

The water ran clear eventually and it felt like she’d stripped away a layer of skin. 

She was pink-tinged and wearing one of Komaru’s shirts as she left the bathroom. Flicking water at Sozen as she trekked out into the back garden, lips pursed with stifled laughter. 

It wasn’t the first time she’d seen Komaru in his  _ fetching _ pink shower cap, the white ruffles around the edge really pulled the look together. No doubt having showered in his own bathroom before wading into the equally as pink paddling pool which he used to shampoo Tadashi until his fur could be considered  _ white _ again. Her teammate grumbling as he scrubbed his partner, cursing a particularly dark clump of soot (or flesh) that was tangled in his fur. 

“You better clean up once you’re done!” Tsume yelled, sat with a serving bowl of broth at the small table. 

“I always clean up!”

“Clean up  _ my ass _ ,” she muttered under her breath, pouring Maiko a bowl as she sat down. “I don’t know how you put up with him.”

“Tadashi.”

“Fair enough,” Tsume shrugged and they tucked into the broth, not bothering to wait for either Komaru or Sozen to join them. She just wanted to enjoy the first decent hot meal she’d had in months, if she  _ never _ saw a mission-approved trail mix, it’d be too soon. “Your sister has been coming around here by the way.”

“Mikoto?”

“Mm,” Tsume slurped her broth, oblivious to Maiko’s winces. “I think she hoped to catch you when you got back from your mission.”

No doubt to make sure she’d come back at all. It wasn’t a priority to head back to her family home as soon as she stepped foot back in the village, her parents and sister could wait a few hours as she settled in. 

“As long as she wasn’t being a bother.”

“Mikoto’s too polite to bother anyone,” she was the picture-perfect Uchiha daughter. Maiko couldn’t begrudge her, she itched to move around and be free. She didn’t have the patience which Mikoto had, the grace and dexterity. Tsume watched her brother's teammate from across the table, Kuromaru sat by her feet. “She helped me with Momo’s puppies.”

“You didn’t let her keep one, did you?”

“She tried to walk out with one hidden under her shirt.”

Maiko smiled, as distant as she was with her family - it was hard to shake them. 

“Did you even save me any?” Komaru hollered, joining them at the table and serving himself a bowl. He poured a second for Sozen, making sure to add extra chilli flakes just as he always liked it. “You’ve eaten most of it!”

“Then you should’ve hurried up!”

And just like that, the peace was broken. Maiko learnt to appreciate the rowdiness in contrast to her own family, full of strained family dinners and awkward silences which made her want to throw herself out of a window. That was just her immediate family, the Uchiha Clan were by no means  _ normal _ . 

Some of them were fucking mental,  _ batshit crazy. _

Suddenly, she was  ** _drowning_ ** .

Katana. Sharingan. Tears and Blood. 

_ So much blood _ . 

It’s like resurfacing from water, Maiko hadn’t realised she wasn’t breathing. It took a few minutes and deep inhales to centre herself, to steady everything around her. If she blinked so many times, it might wipe the memories, the  _ possibilities _ , the  ** _nightmares_ ** -

<strike> Before they dragged her under. </strike>

How did you explain to someone that you had PTSD for events that would happen in the future? 

Komaru watched her carefully out of the corner of his eye, masterfully managing to keep his little sister occupied whilst she pulled herself together. He’d known for  _ years _ that something was going on, his nose could smell the unadulterated fear from a mile away. He’d never said a word and she was forever grateful, even if Maiko knew it was entirely out of self-preservation. 

She’d have gutted him for  _ tattling _ . 

“Do I smell  _ actual _ food?” Sozen finally emerged from his shower, damp and warm but  _ happy _ . The bone-tired sort of exhaustion catching up with them. He took the bowl of broth Komaru handed him with a smile, digging in without a second thought. 

“I’ll make some tea as well,” Tsume said, pushing away and heading into the kitchen to boil the water. Kuromaru moved to rest against Sozen’s legs, leaning in when he scratched behind his ears - a fussy nin-ken. He barely let Komaru  _ touch _ him but he all but leapt into Sozen’s lap. 

“What time do you wanna go tomorrow morning?”

“Report at eight? I already promised the boys a match as soon as I got back,” by  _ the boys _ , Sozen was talking about Ino-Shika-Cho. The terrible trio which had been pestering him for a rematch before the mission, well,  _ Inoichi _ pestered him. Shikaku followed along reluctantly and Chouza thought it was all a laugh. “You gonna see sensei tomorrow? One of us should, I did it last time.”

“ _ I did it last time _ ,” Komaru argued indignantly. 

“If one of us doesn't go and see her, she’ll throw a fit,” the three of them shuddered. At best, Sensei was precocious. With her pregnancy, she was a little kunai happy but perhaps she used it as an excuse. It wouldn’t surprise any of them.

“I’ll see her tomorrow,” Maiko promised.

“Are you staying here or heading home?” Komaru asked as Tsume brought out the tray of tea, grinning when he spotted the bottle of sake she’d nicked. 

Maiko eyed the bottle. “I can stay awhile.”

“We’re  _ not _ giving the mission report  _ hungover _ .”

“Spoilsport.”

* * *

It was dark by the time Maiko got home. 

She was silent as she shut the front door behind her, plunged into darkness and her footsteps light as a feather. 

Maiko had stayed as long as she could until the bottle of sake was emptied and Komaru had passed out. He’d always been a lightweight and they’d made sure he was snug in his bed before she left. Sozen pressed a kiss to her forehead, just as he did with Komaru when they tucked him in before he headed to the guest room to sleep. 

It felt strange to leave them like she was missing a limb. After six months, it always felt weird to go anywhere without them.

The walk home was hard enough without the boys, a swirling pool of dread formed in the pit of her stomach as she made her way to the Uchiha compound. 

It wasn’t the same one in her dreams, this was before the shit hit the fan and the Uchiha were ostracised. That would be years from now. The path to the compound was beautiful, just along the waterside and in the spring, the sakura trees bloomed. The smell of sweet fruit and their local bakeries made it almost irresistible. 

“Maiko?” 

She glanced up, her mother peering at her from the doorway to their room. A single candle was the only source of light in the corridor. Mariko looked dishevelled and tired, her eyes were still sharp though. 

“Mama,” perhaps the months spent apart had done them some good. It felt easier to smile at her mother. “Tadaima.”

“Okaeri,” her mother whispered back. 

They watched each other carefully, the silence was awkward at best but better than before. It was always a struggle knowing where to step with one another, years of dancing around the reason which Maiko had pulled away from her family so suddenly after she was released from the hospital. 

The sudden illness had taken them all by surprise, Maiko had been healthy one day and crippled the next. Medics and nurses and doctors looked into it but none of them could find anything wrong. Nothing to treat but she was in unimaginable pain - the kind of illness which meant that they were closer to saying  _ goodbye _ than wishing her a speedy recovery. 

And then it was gone, she was right as rain. 

Like she hadn’t spent months in intensive care, in a ward separate from everyone just in case it was contagious. Even when it was proved not to be, the white walls swallowed her whole and she came out the other side changed. 

(How did you explain to someone that you had PTSD for events that would happen in the future? How did you tell your parents that you woke up knowing that their Clan would be annihilated? That in the future, she knew that Uchiha Itachi would take a blade and ensure their blood would forever be in Konoha’s soil?)

Mikoto was clueless to everything going on around her, she was barely three-years-old when it all happened and as soon as Maiko came out of the hospital, she attached herself to her big sister's hip by sheer force of will. Nothing could’ve ripped them away from one another, her relationship with her parents, on the other hand, was just a casualty. 

Collateral damage. 

They were just people who couldn’t protect her from the world. A strange sort of detachment that felt both freeing and horrifically lonely at the same time. Nobody could’ve protected her from this and nobody would, she held her tongue and carried on.

Her mother was just a stranger most days, one she loved and cared about but a stranger nonetheless. 

“We’ll talk in the morning,” Mariko said, extinguishing the candle with her fingertips. “Will you have breakfast with us?”

Maiko paused and her chest ached when her mothers face fell. 

“Okay.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Guess who back with a (not very well thought out but constantly rewritten and redrafted) plot.
> 
> I think I posted a very early and rough cut of this a year or so ago? I genuinely can't remember. Oh well.
> 
> Edited: 17/12/20- So I've tweaked and cleaned up, rewritten part of this. I lost steam with this idea a while back and, as per usual, had the urge to write at two in the morning. Hope you guys like it! It might not fit with the next chapter if I haven't edited it just yet!


	2. Chapter 2

Maiko woke up to Mikoto slamming into her. 

(Her sister was lucky that she didn’t automatically reach for the kunai under her pillow. She’d been on a mission for six months and her reflexes were sharper than they needed to be.) 

“When did you get back?”

Mikoto visibly shook with excitement because all it took was the extra pair of sandals by the front door and her mother's gentle hushing - which she promptly ignored and bodychecked her sister into awareness. Her older sister was asleep in her own bed for once and it felt like she had a thousand things to say, ask and do. Of course, she bit her tongue and paused politely as Maiko wiped the sleep from her eyes, noting the dark circles underneath and the unhealthy pallor of her skin before her nee-chan could brush it off. 

The longer missions always took their tolls on a shinobi’s health, especially the higher ranked and more intense ones which Maiko seemed to be prone to taking. 

“Late,” Maiko yawned. “What time is it?”

“Half nine.”

“I’m late,” Sozen was going to kill her. 

He’d threatened to drag her out of bed by her hair as a genin when she was still struggling with her nightmares and it made waking up difficult. She’d only made the mistake of calling his bluff once, not only had he knocked on the door and made polite conversation with her parents - they’d given their blessing. The traitors smiled and waved as he yanked her out of the house, in her pyjamas, kicking and screaming. 

“Mama already told Sozen that you needed your rest,” Mikoto told her, already lifting the covers and slipping into the warmth without invitation. “She’d have invited him in for breakfast but he had training so mama’s cleaning the table and papa’s making breakfast.”

“I didn’t know we were having guests,” the dining table was for company, if it was just the family then they used the small table in the kitchen. A little rickety and stained and battered but it’d been there for years. The good table was rarely used, only when friends or extended family came around or they had an occasion to celebrate. 

“I know Elder Yōko is coming ‘round,” Mikoto shrugged, left out of the loop. “Papa even asked if I could go out with Kushina-chan when they come over.”

That didn’t sound good, the two shared similar wary glances as the alarm bells rang in their head. It was still too early to deal with that sort of bullshit though, at least it was for Maiko. She couldn’t function before twelve without proper motivation or coffee. Since she had neither of those at that point, she closed her eyes and snuggled into the mattress, relishing not having to sleep on the forest floor again. 

“I missed you,” Mikoto said sweetly, seventeen and innocent and Maiko wanted her to stay that way. 

“I missed you too,” she peeked one eye open with a small smile, reserved entirely for Mikoto. “What’ve you been up to since I’ve been gone?”

“So much, sensei finally managed to find me a kenjutsu instructor.”

“Finally.”

“Right? Went on a few missions, one with Kushina-”

“I bet that went great.”

“We worked well together, my teammates are just assholes,” Mikoto wasn’t wrong either, she didn’t even recall her sister's teammates names. They were forgettable and entirely unpleasant. “Tsume agrees that I need to apply for another team after the chūnin exams.”

“Was this when you tried to steal a puppy?”

“I mean, your sensei said the same thing-”

At that, Maiko’s eyes snapped open. “You spoke to my sensei?”

“Sometimes I’d drop by to see if you’d come home and just not swung by yet,” Maiko refused to feel guilty, she refused. “Morino-san invited me over after the seventh time. I hadn’t spoken with her properly since you were a genin.”

Those were the good ol’ days, Mikoto had been thoroughly starstruck when she’d first been introduced to Morino Tori. Something about her cool attitude and stoic nature seemed to appeal to her, of course she didn’t have to deal with the psychological warfare and manipulation which passed as loving affection. 

Mikoto frowned. 

“I didn’t realise she was pregnant.”

“God help us all when she unleashes that hellspawn unto Konoha,” Maiko murmured, worried for her team's sanity if their sensei’s kid turned out to be a little too much like its mother. 

“Girls! Breakfast!”

“Coming papa!” the two scrambled out of Maiko’s bed, shoving and pushing one another in their efforts to get to the kitchen first. Their stomachs growling at the smell of food. Her appetite would slowly come back, not to mention she’d need to put the weight back on that she’d lost. 

Uchiha Noboru was the only one trusted to make their food in the household, their mother was many things - cunning and clever and hard-working, she just couldn’t cook. Somehow, she burnt rice. It was a mutual agreement between her parents that their father would make the food unless they wanted to be poisoned. 

“Morning Papa,” Maiko pressed a kiss to his whiskered cheek. 

“How’s my girl?”

As strained as things were in the family, Maiko found it easier to talk to her father than her mother. Noboru had once been a notable figure in the chain of command, higher up in the Uchiha Police Force. Not that Maiko remembered much about it since he’d given the job up when she was a child, taking a desk job after she landed in the hospital. 

He’d once explained that he’d already lost both his siblings, his brother to the war and his sister to illness.

The desk job gave him a little more freedom and their absentee father was more present than ever, at home to cook their meals and actually eat with them. That distance before she fell ill? He hadn’t known her before she pulled away and for him, it was easier to adjust to the changes after everything that happened. 

Maiko was Maiko. She was just his little girl. It was as simple as that. 

“Tired,” she whined. “Why are trail mixes so terrible?”

“Because they like to watch us suffer,” her father answered promptly, hissing when the oil in the pan spat at him. “I’m making your favourite-” he glared at the pan petulantly. “-or I’m trying to at least.”

“Take no prisoners papa!” Mikoto encouraged him as she set the table. 

“Sit, you look dead on your feet,” her father told her, not unkindly but in the same blunt manner she’d been accustomed to her entire life. Mikoto pulled out a chair for her, making sure to leave a glass of water as she pottered around the room. “How’re the boys?”

“They’re fine,” she shrugged. “I’ll see them in a couple of days, I’m gonna head over to sensei’s at some point today.”

“Ah, you’ll need to discuss that with your mother,” he huffed, gesturing in a vague direction. “Apparently, we’re having guests.”

Not that he seemed happy about that. 

Mikoto met her confused gaze with a helpless shrug. 

But, speak of the devil and he shall appear. Her mother chucked the rag that she’d been using polish the dining table into a reflective surface, grimacing when it landed just wayside of the sink. Her hair pinned back with a bandana and she looked entirely too energetic for that time of morning, her smile widened at the sight of their daughters at the table. 

“Good morning,” her mother pressed a kiss to Mikoto’s head and pulled away to run her fingers through Maiko’s hair. Something she used to do all the time when they were children. Her fingernails scraped over her scalp and Maiko leant back with a smile. “Did you sleep well?”

“Yeah, nice to be back in my own bed.”

“Six months is such a long time,” her mother sighed, slowly removing her hand and patting down a few strays curls. “I think it's the longest you’ve been away actually.”

“Ah, there was that mission to Takigakure,” Maiko pointed out and all of them winced, it’d been her first long term mission since being promoted as chūnin. The first time she’d been away from Konoha for more than a month - it’d been a big adjustment but it’d also shown her that she could’ve survived and thrived outside of their gates. 

(It’d also been a fucking disaster and they all knew it.)

Mikoto grinned. “You brought back so many souvenirs.”

“Their market places were amazing, okay? I have poor impulse control,” the two sneered at one another whilst their parents rolled their eyes fondly. 

“Here you go, pumpkin,” her father ruffled her hair before placing the tamago kake gohan in front of her. It wasn’t her favourite by a long shot but a home-cooked meal still made her mouth water. Still, she had her role to play and made sure to playfully curl her lip at the bowl.

“What happened to my favourite?” Maiko laughed, she moved quickly enough to dodge her fathers wooden spoon. 

“Brat.” it went unmentioned that it was in the bin. Mikoto sniggered under her breath as she received her own bowl. 

“Thank you, papa,” they chimed in well-practised unison. It was painfully easy to fluster their father. They’d long outgrown the child-like cuteness which had him wrapped around their little fingers as soon as they could open their eyes. His parents had passed away before Maiko was born but his Aunt Hana cackled at the sight of him at their beck and call. 

Speaking of Aunt Hana. 

“How’s Aya-chan by the way?” the last she’d seen of her cousin, she’d been heavily pregnant and entirely done with the whole thing. Aunt Hana rolled her eyes at her granddaughter's complaints. “Did they find out if it's a boy or a girl?”

“Oh, pumpkin, she gave birth two weeks after you left,” her father said and it was fair enough, she had been gone for six months after all. “A little boy, Obito.”

(You’re not drowning. You’re not drowning. You’re not drowning.)

“I’ll have to visit them later,” she heard herself say and focused on eating her tamago. 

(You can breathe. You can breathe. You can breathe.)

“Elder Yōko is actually coming for dinner,” her mother said quietly as if the news hadn’t already circulated throughout the household. Her lips were pursed and she seemed to be playing with her food “I know you have plans but she would actually like to meet with you.”

“Me?” Maiko choked- so much for breathing- Mikoto patted her back. “Why me?”

“I believe she wants to discuss an omiai with you,” ah, that explained the sneer which her father wore. His lip had been curled as soon as the Elder’s name had been brought up, teeth bared in a half-snarl which Komaru would’ve been proud of. It was adorable. Her mother patted his hand gently, lacing their fingers together in an effort to calm him down. “She was coming over whether or not you’d returned home just to discuss options.”

“You would’ve set it up without me here?”

“Don’t be stupid,” her mother snapped, the tension thick in the air and despite how lovely the morning had been so far - Maiko was quickly reminded that one good morning didn’t heal the chasm between them. “Of course we wouldn’t.”

Maiko held her hands up defensively. 

“Sorry, sorry,” she murmured, placing her hands in her lap to hide how they were clenched into fists. “Any chance I can miss out on it and you can tell me what the options are?”

“And make me suffer alone? Not a chance.” 

“It was worth a shot.”

* * *

Elder Yōko was accompanied by Elder Hisao. 

Just the sight of the man made Maiko frown. As children, he’d been a tutor to both Mikoto and herself. She hadn’t taken kindly to his… constructive criticisms, he could say what he wanted about her but as soon as he laid into Mikoto - she may have thrown a bottle of ink at him. Possibly. Allegedly. 

It seemed like he remembered her as well since he moved the tea, the only liquids on the table, just out of her reach. 

“Thank you so much for agreeing to meet with us,” Elder Yōko said like it had been a choice at all. Her parents made no comment and the older woman set her sights on Maiko quickly. “I know this is all quite last minute and you must be exhausted, Maiko-chan.”

She didn’t like the way the woman said her name. 

“With Maiko-san’s work ethic and mission tally, we believe she’ll be recommended for the jōnin exams sooner than later,” Elder Hisao stated. He was never one to beat around the bush and Maiko would rather face three A-Rank missions on the bounce than try to make small talk with him. She wanted this over and done as much as he probably did. “With that in mind, we believe she should be wed shortly after her promotion.”

It was an unspoken tradition. One her mother was well-acquainted with. 

The Uchiha revered women, they respected them however with prejudices and other factors, marriage options were often limited. Anyone unsavoury or not to the standards which the council dictated were often ostracised; the Sharingan was their prized weapon after all and in their eyes, weak blood didn’t help. 

Mostly to try and encourage more Uchiha babies, women were set up with an omiai before they reached jōnin. If they settled at chūnin, they were allowed to keep their position at least until their first child was born but the child took precedent and most women were expected to retire to raise said child. 

Of course, there were exceptions and loopholes but Maiko knew more women retired than still in active service. 

Outdated. Antiquated. Fucking stupid. 

“We have a few candidates in mind,” Elder Hisao pulled out three files. Thick and with coloured-tabs. “Of course, the choice is entirely up to you.”

Choose or we shall choose for you. 

Her father was the one to take the files from the man, sliding them across to his daughter without a word. It was probably a precaution as not to say anything which would bite him in the ass later. The desk job he worked with left him at the mercy of the council most of the time and from their almost shark-like expressions, they knew it too. 

Uchiha Sanosuke. 

Uchiha Fugaku. 

Uchiha Botan. 

They placed his file neatly in the middle as if he was no more important than the other two men they’d chosen for her - as if they hadn’t neatly placed the Clan Heir’s folder within her hands. She made sure not to pause in her perusal, she didn’t give them the satisfaction and placed Uchiha Fugaku’s file down like Uchiha Botan was infinitely more interesting. 

Elder Yōko’s eyebrow twitched. Her mother sipped her tea to hide her smile. 

“I should say that one-” she tapped her finger at the special folder and Maiko stared blankly at the woman. “-has already expressed interest.”

Huh. 

Perhaps Mikoto had escaped by the skin of her teeth, would this have been the same omiai which she would’ve received a year or so down the line? It was hard to think when it felt like her head was underwater and her thoughts were spinning. 

Mikoto. Fugaku. Itachi. Sasuke. 

The four names on repeat, over and over within her head. Her parents, well, her mother spoke at length with the Elders about their options but all Maiko could hear was white noise. Everything seemed to fade away ever so slightly, fuzzy and soft like if she fell back she’d bounce. 

No Mikoto meant no Itachi or Sasuke. 

She wasn’t naive enough to think it’d stall a coup d’etat or the slaughter of the clan but enough changes could alter everything - it could help or hinder. If she made everything worse then she had no idea what to do, whatever memories she had and knowledge she held would’ve been rendered useless…

...But Mikoto would be able to choose her own partner. 

“How soon would a decision need to be made?” Maiko asked, interrupting the conversation much to Elder Hisao’s consternation. 

“We would like a name by tomorrow.”

“The end of the week, at the latest,” Elder Yōko amended with a sharp glare. “It gives us time to set up the meetings and such. The jōnin exams are only months away.”

That was fine. She’d made her choice. 

Maiko slid a single folder back, her lips pursed.

“If you’ll excuse me, I have plans. Thank you.”

(She just hoped she’d made the correct decision in stealing her sister's would-have-been husband.)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 20/12/20 - if you've reread the last chapter you'll know I'm retweaking my writing as I regain more steam for this story. This is quite different from the last draft so it may not make sense if the next chapter hasn't been touched up just yet! Let me know what you think! Hope you're all doing well and keeping safe in times like these!


	3. Chapter 3

The tap was still running and Sozen grimaced, wiping away the dirt from his face with a wet rag. 

“Okay, now tell me what  _ really _ happened.”

Maiko shrugged. 

Her somewhat dramatic exit was drawn to a halt as soon as she stepped out of the Clan compound, a wave of panic washed over her as she realised she was stood there in her best clothes and with nowhere to go. Without thinking though, her feet trekked a familiar path and she’d found herself on Sozen’s doorstep. 

Barely a day apart from one another but he didn’t question it. 

He just opened the door a little wider. 

Sozen had just come back from his tussle with the T&I Trio, a smattering of small cuts across the right side of his face and there was a purpling bruise creeping over the collar of his shirt. An angry colour that would no doubt be a disgusting mottled green in a day or so. 

Inoichi  _ had _ sworn revenge after all since the last time the three of them sparred, Sozen had gleefully unleashed a recently acquired jutsu that  _ caked _ them in several layers of mud. His pride wounded as soon as Sozen had dared to tamper with his precious blonde locks. 

“As I said,” she laid back on his bed, having peeled herself out of her formal clothes and now wearing a loose pair of her pants and a shirt she’d stolen. Her eyes dancing across the familiar cracks and splits in his ceiling. Intimately familiar with them since she’d caused at least three. “I got engaged.”

“Yeah, but-? Engaged how?  _ Like in combat?” _

Maiko blinked. 

“...what?”

“Yeah, like, swords? Katanas?  _ Exploding tags _ ? Please don’t tell me we have to pay for the training ground landscaping again?”

Eventually, she sat up, resting her weight upon her elbows as she glared at his shifting figure through the doorway to the bathroom. 

“What part of  _ engaged _ are you not understanding?”

“The part where you told me you were  _ engaged _ ,” the sink rattled when Sozen slammed his palms down onto the basin, gripping them tightly enough that the rough scabs split open once more - tiny specks of blood seeping through but the bite was enough to bring him back down to earth. A sharp breath forced through his nose. 

There’s a beat of silence and Maiko watched as he loosened his grip, the moment he needed to collect himself. 

“Maiko, the last time you  _ dated _ someone, and I use that very loosely-”

“Sadou was a nice guy!”

“-I use that very loosely!” he loudly spoke over her interruption. “Since you used him entirely for his body.”

There’s another pause and she can see him visibly wrestling with himself, the urge to make another lewd or dirty comment was there but the weight of his words held him back. 

( _ Those three weeks on the borders of River Country were  _ ** _well _ ** _ spent. _ )

“That was nearly a year ago, probably two - so don’t sit there and tell me you’re fucking  _ engaged _ .”

Sometimes, Maiko envied him. 

Sozen wasn’t from a large Clan, it wasn’t prominent or one of prestige. It sounded cruel to say but they were unknown. Too spread out and diverse, no tight rules or restrictions. There were certain things that he didn’t understand that came with the life of a Clan. Politics had never meant a great deal to him, there were no elders or interventions or prospective arranged marriages. 

“The Elders chose him for me.”

_ CRACK! _

She tried not to flinch at the hairline fractures in the basin of the sink - the way his biceps quivered as he finally let go. Sozen’s face is unbearably blank but she can see the way his jaw was clenched as he flitted into his bedroom before leaving his flat altogether with a mumbled - “gimme a second.”

Maiko laid back down without a second thought. 

It was still slightly warm and she wondered if he’d been laid in that exact spot before she’d crashed his moment of peace. Her eyes closed and then her mind was on overdrive, wandering and  _ overthinking _ .

No doubt her parents would’ve heard from the Elders about how the meeting went. 

Mikoto was still kicking about with either Kushina or her team. 

Fugaku was no doubt in his own home, somewhat soothed by the fact a match had been  _ so perfectly arranged for them- _

( _ Mikoto- Fugaku- katana- _ ** _ blood, there’s so much blood_ ** **.** )

The fear is piercing and pungent, she’d likened it to drowning so many times that it had lost its effect. An anchor sitting on her breastbone, a weight dragging her under and she didn’t know how to keep going sometimes because the sorrow crippled her. The idea that one of their own- one of  _ her own _ -

The bedroom door  ** _flew _ ** open.

She threw herself off the bed. A hand reaching for a kunai without a second thought, a flick of the wrist-

It lodged handle deep into the door frame. 

“Is that any way to greet your sensei?”

The only sound in the room was her panting as Maiko peered over the bed with a ferocious glower. 

“It is when she kicks the fucking door down,” Morino Tori grinned because her student looked like nothing more than a disgruntled kitten in her opinion. 

“I’ve taught you well,” the pride was there but perhaps it was a ruse, lulling Maiko into a gentle lull of security which she rudely ripped away. “What’s this I’ve heard about an arranged marriage?”

_ Oh boy. _

“At least let me get up before you put me through my paces.”

“You’ve got thirty seconds.”

The two of them were sat at the small table on Sozen’s balcony in exactly twenty-three seconds. Both waiting for the kettle to boil on the stove as they arranged the tea set between them. With how far along her sensei was, Morino-sensei couldn't have as much of her beloved drink as she used to. The culprit for Maiko’s addiction, one which had started as soon as they’d formed their genin team. 

( _ The two had taken great pleasure in dragging the boys into every single tea shop, whenever they came across one outside of the village walls. _ )

“So what did Sozen tell you so far?”

“I wasn’t aware that Sozen knew about this,” her sensei informed her, shifting and leaving Maiko sat in uncomfortable silence as the woman fetched the now boiling kettle from the kitchen. She didn’t speak again until both cups of tea were poured and perfectly tailored to their usual preferences. “Your mother found me once the elders had informed her about your decision and  _ sudden exit _ .”

“Ah.”

“You’re surprised.”

“I didn’t know that you and my mother spoke,” it was an oversight that she wouldn’t make again, Maiko frowned as she took a sip of her sweetened jasmine tea. “The two of you must be quite close if she could find you this quickly.”

“Well,” Morino-sensei glared down at the swell of her abdomen. “It’s not like I’m going anywhere fast these days.”

Maiko hid her smile behind her teacup. 

Morino Tori tilted her head, silvery hair sitting at her collarbones and sharp dark eyes focused entirely on her student. “Are you mad at your parents for the situation or are you angry at the situation itself?”

“I was angry with them, to begin with,” it wasn’t logical to be angry with her parents since it was something out of their control but those first ten minutes after having agreed to the engagement were not ones for rational thought. “Then I pulled my head out of my ass because the Elders forced the situation, both with how soon it happened and the surprise of it all.”

Honesty was the best and only policy with Morino-sensei. The woman could smell a half-truth or a lie before you’d even thought of it. 

The woman nodded. 

“They blindsided you.”

“I’m angry at the situation,” it’s a half bitten thought which her sensei encouraged with a wave of her hand. “I’m angry that my jōnin promotion is suddenly a bargaining chip, I’m angry that if Fugaku hadn’t been named successor, then I would’ve probably been able to choose someone at my own time and pace.”

“So,  _ never then _ ?”

“Mean.”

“I mean, settling down means spending more than a month in the village to  _ meet _ someone.”

There’s a sharp look and Maiko felt very much like a genin once more, her chin tucked against her chest. A look so petulant that Morino Tori had to hide her smile as she took a sip of her tea. 

“Only Komaru and I have picked up on it,” the boy was a lot more observant than most,  _ including herself at times _ , gave him credit for. Originally he’d come to her with concerns for Maiko a month after they’d become a genin team.  _ So many years ago _ . “We know you, so we know what we’re looking for.”

( _ Morino Tori recalled the first night her team had spent in her small house, the three had taken the small mattress in the guestroom. Komaru nestled in the middle, one leg hooked over Sozen’s and an arm wrapped around Maiko’s waist. Sozen was curled up on his side, taking up as little space as possible. Maiko was the one which was a cause for worry, thrashing and moving in her sleep, eyes clamped shut as if she was in pain.  _

_ She also recalled the first time they’d spent asleep under the stars. A long way from home but in the same position, the three crowded together but Maiko looked so serene. Her body turned to face Komaru as the three huddled together for warmth. _ )

“I love Konoha and everyone in it,” because that was honest to god truth. As much as Maiko would love to let parts of this village burn, certain individuals and groups and thoughts and ideals - Konoha as a whole was always  _ home _ . 

Morino Tori was a viper though and she missed no detail. 

“This is because of what happened when you were a child, isn’t it?”

( _ When she woke up with the memories of a dead woman? Knowing that her Clan would be annihilated? That blood would forever soak the land which they were founded upon? _ )

Maiko stared up at her in despair, in panic, utterly lost as tears swam - her Sharingan spinning lazily but her sensei met her stare head-on. 

“I won’t pretend to know the specifics, no one does but yourself. Your parents made it very clear when I took you on as a student though that your personality had changed drastically after your illness,” if there was one thing which she could rely on her sensei for, it was the cold hard facts. Irrefutable logic. “You pulled away from everyone you were close to, distance yourself from your Clan but worked harder in improving yourself. More missions, more time out of the village, on paper, it sounds like a recipe for a woman ready to abandon her village.”

Maiko focused on the tabletop, her teacup clutched between her hands because then she wouldn’t fidget as much. Eyes piercing holes into the bottom of her cup where the dredges of her tea leaves laid. Morino-sensei was unsure if the girl even knew her dōjutsu was even activated. 

“You don’t have to tell me, just know that I’ll help with whatever it is you’re struggling with,” her faith was unshakeable and that, more than anything, was what caused the first few tears to fall. The unwavering faith she had that Maiko wasn’t about to up and go rogue, that it was a genuine issue she was dealing with. “Even if I will silently judge you for all of your bad decisions.”

That got a laugh out of her at least, her sensei shrugging nonchalantly. 

“More than you do already?”

“I like to think I’m quite vocal in my judgements of your terrible choices,  _ thank you very much _ ,” Morino-sensei snorted, the two of them finishing their tea in silence. There wasn’t a need to continue the conversation, a warmth weighing on her as they basked in the small moment of peace on Sozen’s balcony. 

The front door slammed open. 

Morino Tori’s nose wrinkled as three distinct footsteps thundered throughout the flat. 

Of course, Tadashi found them first, happily trotting over to rest his head in Maiko’s lap with a content whine. No doubt having felt the tension of his partner and teammate and thought the worst. It was the nin-kens way of reassuring himself that all was well. She scratched behind his ear with a small smile. 

“ _ Great _ , here we go,” her sensei grunted, eyes closed and the bridge of her nose pinched as she prayed for patience. 

“What’s this about a  _ wedding _ ?!” Komaru snarled. 

Sozen followed, looking mildly apologetic. 

( _ Enough so that he probably understood that telling Komaru was probably a bad idea but not enough to regret telling him in the first place. It was a fine line one had to master after dealing with his dramatics for so many years. _ )

“There’s no wedding,”  _ yet _ , it’s silent but heavily implied. 

Maiko didn’t like the way he bared his teeth at her and she launched her empty cup, wishing for once that it’d hit him in the head. Instead, Komaru was unbearably smug as he snatched it out of the air without flinching. 

“What the  _ fuck? _ ”

Sozen followed their sensei’s lead and closed his eyes too. 

“Can you really stand there and tell me that your parents haven’t come to you or Tsume yet about marriage?”

“ _ Yeah but- _ ”

“But  _ what? _ ”

“But, but,  _ but _ !” He looked to Sozen for help because apparently, that was the only word he could say. 

“Komaru,” Morino-sensei eventually snapped, sick of hearing the same word over and over like the rest of them, her eyes like slits as she snarled at him in return. “Sit.”

Komaru dropped onto his ass from where he’d stood with a sullen “ _ Woof _ .”

“I thought we’d exhausted the dog jokes?”

“Turns out they replenish after a few years,” Sozen commented, finally opening his eyes again if only to roll them. 

Komaru looked heartbroken enough that Maiko refrained from making another jab, his eyes wide as he stared at her. “Seriously though,  _ marriage? _ ”

“It was gonna happen sooner or later,” Maiko was tired. Of this situation, of her Clan, of the entire weight pressing down on her and the horror film she watched every time she closed her eyes. Tired wasn’t even the word for it,  _ exhausted _ was marginally better. “With how they worded it, I think if I don’t do this though, they’ll arrange it for Mikoto when she comes of age.”

( _ She doesn’t think, she  _ ** _knew_ ** _ . That’s not blood she’s willing to have on her hands.  _ ** _Not Mikoto’s_ ** .)

There’s a sharp noise of anger and both her boys are up in arms. 

Tsume was to be protected. As would Sensei’s spawn when he deigned to make his arrival. Mikoto was theirs, as distant as Maiko was with her family, Mikoto  _ was hers _ .

“A catch twenty-two, either you’re shackled or Mikoto is, with the knowledge that you could’ve prevented it,” blunt thy name is Morino Tori. Komaru winced, head dropping into his hands at the thought. “I mean, marriage is still quite a big thing. You were only with Sadou for a few weeks and that was entirely for sex.”

Maiko didn’t even have to look at Sozen to know he wore a smug smile of triumph. 

“Wow guys, thanks for the pep talk, loving it,” her voice was flat as she rolled her eyes. “I’m not exactly out of options though am I?”

Morino-sensei raised her teacup in a toast, pride glittering from her  _ sharp sharp eyes _ . 

* * *

This time, her parents sat at the table with her as she faced the Elder Yōko.

Out of the three which had originally met with her, she was the only one to accept the invitation once more. Her prospective husband not in attendance and neither should he be, the details would be ironed out between the two of them. 

“I apologise for leaving so suddenly the other day,” Maiko smiled. 

Her mother faltered for a fraction of a second as she poured herself a cup of tea, it was a smile she was well acquainted with. In fact, it was one that she’d taught her daughter, something which her husband had noticed as well if the faint twitch of his dominant hand was anything to by. The subtle ticks that only the immediate family knew about one another. 

They said nothing and allowed the interaction to continue. 

“It’s understandable, you must have been exhausted after such a long journey. I regret how we sprung the meeting under such circumstances,” polite and brief whilst acknowledging the tactics behind such a choice. 

“Yes, circumstances are a factor,” Maiko’s cheeks dimpled and her comment garnered a sharp look. The kind of an enemy which is now understanding a trap that has been laid. “Such as the circumstances around the arrangement, it’s so mu understanding that I’m the only possible candidate which has met your… approval.”

The pause was barely negligible but her mother smothered a smile with a hasty cough behind her sleeve. 

Elder Yōko said nothing, nursing her cup of tea with dark eyes. 

“I’m sure you can understand then that I’m not willing to simply be coerced into an engagement which doesn’t benefit me to some extent,” Maiko tried not to grin as a choked noise slipped from the other side of the table. 

Her father quickly excused himself but she could see the quiver of his shoulder as he tried not to laugh. 

“You would become the Matriarch of the Uchiha Clan, the benefits are extensive,  _ to say the least _ .” 

“But the engagement period removes a lot of liberties for  _ only _ myself, I’m sure you can understand that there are a few issues which I feel should be addressed.”

Her mother followed her father, suffering a similar but  _ terrible _ affliction. 

“This is quite unorthodox,” Elder Yōko said but it wasn’t a denial, after all, the worst she could say was a flat out rejection. If that was the case, Maiko would make sure that she was the  _ bride from hell _ . 

“As much as our Clan loves their tradition, progression and change is the only way to move forward and  _ flourish _ ,” her grin grew and her sharp teeth were displayed. An absent thought danced through her mind about how much fun she could have simply playing along to the beat of their drum and trying to fuck up whatever plans they had along the way.

“What sort of issues?”

“I won't marry before I’ve made jōnin rank and I would like to have at least two years in my new rank before nuptials,” it bought her three years if the recommendations they’d spoken of were anything to go by. 

“I appreciate your confidence, my dear, but not everyone makes jōnin rank on their first try.”

“Which is why if I don’t make jōnin on my first attempt, the marriage will go forward a year later, regardless of my rank,” Maiko was nothing if not thoughtful, she’d considered for a split second the other day sticking in a clause of having to be jōnin before marriage and then,  _ simply staying as a chūnin for the rest of her life _ . 

Unfortunately, her pride wouldn’t allow it. 

“After marriage, I  _ will _ continue in my career, I will provide an heir but I will not be a simple housewife,” that was one thing which had worried her the most. The current matriarch was a housewife though whether or not it was out of choice was an entirely different matter. 

“A matriarch-” Elder Yōko flushed an unattractive pink, gripping her cup tightly enough that Maiko worried it would break but instead she leaned forward. She made sure that their faces were only inches apart as she glared the older woman down. 

“A matriarch is a woman who will stand her ground and protect both her family, her Clan and our village. Fuck this traditional idea that I need to stay home to be a good mother,” Maiko was unwilling to bend on this matter. Her rank was negotiable, this  _ was not _ . “I will not spend my blood, sweat and tears simply to have that taken away as soon as I have a child. No woman should unless it is their choice.”

They’re silent. 

Her parents are silent, from where they stood on the other side of the door trying to eavesdrop on the entire conversation. 

Mikoto no doubt having her ear pressed against the floor, trying to overhear. 

_ (What a nosy family _ .)

“This is not something I will change my mind on, it isn’t something which I will  _ compromise _ ,” Maiko took a deep breath as she flattened her hands, expression smooth once more and if no one knew better, they could mistake her for the picturesque demure Uchiha wife they’d tried to mould her into as a child. Her eyes were sharp though and so was her tongue. “You will get your matriarch but I’ll be damned if you tell me how to live my life after marriage.”

Elder Yōko gave a small pause. 

“Of course I will have to confer with the Elders.”

“I’m sure you do and you will tell them that this is non-negotiable. If they have any reason to try and argue that, then they can find another wife.”

It was a dangerous gamble because the only other option seemed to be  _ Mikoto _ . 

This all hinged on their desperation - were they willing to wait that long? 

Elder Yōko sipped her tea, finishing it in one swift gulp and though the cup was placed back its saucer lightly; it was done so deliberately as if she was  _ trying _ not to harshly slam the two together. A smile, not dissimilar to the one which Maiko had worn going into the brief meeting, pulling at her wrinkled lips. 

“Well, I’m sure they’ll come around regardless of their views,” the older woman climbed to her feet with ease despite her creaking joints. “We do expect you to have regular chaperoned meetings with your betrothed until the nuptials. It will make the entire process go a lot smoother.”

“Something to discuss in the upcoming weeks,” Maiko agreed. 

Elder Yōko bowed and left without much fanfare. 

Maiko sagged, almost boneless, leaning forward to press her forehead against the table. 

“Poor Sadou will be heartbroken-!” Mikoto crowed from elsewhere in the house and Maiko reeled back in horror, sat up straight as she gazed at the ceiling in woe. 

“How the fuck does everyone  _ know about him? _ ”


End file.
